Petrichor
by Azuki Bean
Summary: He was like the smell of earth after rain. An aromatic scent of pine needles and tree bark that mingled with the mist. Refreshing, calming. Insightful, benevolent. Filled with thoughts and feelings that didn't seem apparent at first glance. Full summary inside. R
1. Chapter 1

**Summary:** He was like the smell of earth after rain. An aromatic scent of pine needles and tree bark that mingled with the mist. Refreshing, calming. Insightful, benevolent. Filled with thoughts and feelings that didn't seem apparent at first glance. This is the story of how an emerald-eyed boy showed me that there was more to life than a classroom, that there was a whole world out there. He took me by the hand and introduced me to new friends, new adventures, and a newly found love.

**Disclaimer:** Free! Iwatobi Swim Club and its characters do not belong to me

**Beta:** ravenreux

* * *

I quietly slid open the door of my mother's room. Her sleeping figure was nestled comfortably underneath the white blankets. The shades were drawn, and clothing was thrown sparingly on the floor. She had come home late from work again last night.

"Okaa-san," I whispered. Her body moved slightly. "Okaa-san," I whispered again, this time a bit louder.

She mumbled in response.

"I'm going to school now."

"Mm…"

I took a step back and slid the door shut. With a sigh, I strolled down the hallway toward my older brother's room. I rapped lightly on the door, and when there was no response, I turned on my heel and made my way down the stairs towards the front entrance. Sitting on the floor and grabbing my pair of loafers, I brushed them off and slipped the shoes onto my feet, making sure to adjust the area near my heels.

I locked the door behind me before turning and making my way down the narrow concrete steps. Breathing in the fresh springtime morning, I soaked in my surroundings. There was a cool breeze, budding flowers were blooming and everything seemed very green. It was April now and spring break had just ended a few days ago; it was the beginning of a new semester.

Suddenly a dangerously small white kitten pranced out from the safety of the bushes and into direct line of my path. In alarm, I swerved my foot to the far right, fortunately evading the ball of fluff, yet also succeeding in falling down the last five steps. With a yelp, I landed hard on the floor with a thud; my arms and legs sprawled out. I heard the kitten meow before a rustle of leaves signaled its departure. I laid there for a moment, groaning, because I could feel the pain spread along my spine, then reverberate through my bones until it reached my fingertips and toes. My vision was fuzzy and there were strange black spots that weren't there before.

"Kaori-san!" I heard a male voice shout, quickly followed by hurried footsteps.

I lifted my head and saw a fuzzy image of Tachibana Makoto running to my aid. He not only attended the same school as me, but he was also in the same year and homeroom - coincidentally.

I bit the inside of my cheek and silently cursed to myself. I could only fathom how embarrassing the situation currently was.

He crouched down beside me. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I'm fine," I reassured him. Painful stings shot through my body as I sat up. I winced.

Seeing this, Tachibana-san's eyes roved over my form, examining me for any injuries. Upon seeing my knee, he gasped. "Your knee's bleeding Kaori-san!"

I bent my leg to examine the ligament. It was scraped, and growing increasingly red as blood was rising to the surface.

The emerald eyed boy shuffled in his backpack before letting out a crestfallen sigh. "I don't have band aids."

Seeing a classmate so concerned with my well being left me feeling uncomfortably feeble.

"It's fine," I said, trying to ease his worry. "It's only a scrape. Happens all the time." Realizing what I had just said, I inwardly facepalmed. That did not dissipate his anxiety at all.

His jaw dropped. "_All_ the time?"

"No. I didn't- Umm..." I sighed. "If it makes you feel any better, I can go back home and get the first-aid kit."

"Alright then," he drawled.

I glanced back up the stairs and he did the same - we were thinking the same thing.

"How are you going to get up there," he asked, eyebrows tightly knit together.

I pondered. "I can climb I guess."

"That's only going to make the situation worse!" he whined.

"Then maybe..."

"Guess It can't be helped." He pulled his backpack off his shoulders and plopped it on the floor. He then turned around and squatted, his back facing toward me.

"Eh? Wh-What are you doing?"

"I'll carry you up the stairs." As if realizing he was being too forward, he quickly added, "If that's okay with you."

I hesitated. Never in my life have I been carried by another guy. "But the blood will get on your clothes," I reasoned.

"Don't worry. It won't."

"Are you sure we can't-"

"Hurry or we'll be late for school!"

"Okay," I sighed in defeat. I moved slowly. Every movement felt as if I was being stabbed by a bunch of needles, _repeatedly_. I rose to my feet, somehow managing to sling both of our backpacks over my shoulders. "I'm heavy," I warned as I leaned onto his back.

The only reply that sounded from his mouth was a chuckle.

I tentatively wrapped my arms around his neck. He hooked his hands beneath my knees.

"Yosh!" he said enthusiastically as he stood up and began ascending the steps.

This entire situation was very strange, I felt very awkward and stiff. I kept my head raised, not daring to completely rest against Tachibana-san. I hardly knew him. The only time we ever really spoke was when I had to collect notebooks for our teacher that one time.

"Ano... Kaori-san. Could you rest your head on me a bit more? You're making it hard to walk."

"Oh, okay."

My cheeks were already beginning to burn. I opened my mouth to apologize, but I decided against it. I was too embarrassed to speak.

I then noticed that Tachibana-san's ears were tinged red, and he smelled of soap.

"How did you fall," he suddenly asked.

I had to withdraw from my previous thoughts due to the fact that I was not prepared for this question.

"There was a cat," I replied hesitantly, "And I almost stepped on it."

He gasped.

"It was an accident!"

He let out a half-suppressed laugh. I was confused.

"I know. It's just that I do believe I know the cat you're talking about, and I just found it amusing that you were getting so defensive."

The edges of my lips tugged into a frown. He turned his head to the side, trying to look apologetic, but he was still wearing a smirk.

When we reached the top, I pointed to the house I lived in, when it finally dawned on me that this didn't seem like such a good idea. My mom and brother were still home, so going in there, piggybacked by a boy, with a chance they they might wake up and see us, I didn't want to risk it.

I opened my mouth to voice my opinion.

"Is it really that bad of an idea?"

I nodded.

"Well have you ever tried bringing a boy over before?"

"Of course not!"

"Then how would you know how they would react?"

I felt his eyes on me as I grew quiet. I didn't want to be like my brother. I didn't want him and my mother to assume things about me.

He bounced a bit to regain a grip on me. "Then I suppose we could go to Haru-chan's place."

"Haru-chan as in... Nanase Haruka?"

He bobbed his head.

I knew Nanase-san was my neighbor, I had seen him leave his house a few times. But like Tachibana-san, I never conversated with him. I've never even heard his voice before.

"Okay."

I had no other option and I was just a bit curious on what the inside of his home would look like. The last time I had been to someone else's house was in junior high.

We then turned around and walked toward Nanase-san's house, directly across from mine. Tachibana-san leaned forward and I pressed the doorbell for him, seeing that his hands were full. After waiting a few seconds, he leaned forward yet again and I pressed the button.

We were definitely going to be late for school.

He took a few steps back and looked up at one of the windows. "Ah, Haru. Seriously? Maybe if we go around back," he said more to himself than me. He then shook his head and muttered, "Out of all the times to take a bath."

We went through a narrow passage around the house and to the back door. I was surprised to find that it was unlocked and I easily slid it open.

"This should be locked," I said.

The emerald eyed boy nodded. "I know, I tell him all the time."

We then walked inside and Tachibana-san kicked off his shoes with expertise.

I was surprised to find that the structure of the house was very similar to my own, but everything inside was completely different, making it seem very surreal.

He sighed when he reached a closed door. Judging by the location we were in on the second floor, I could guess was the bathroom. But why were we here?

"I'm coming in," Tachibana-san said as he skillfully slid open the door with his foot.

My eyes grew wide as I saw Nanase-san lounging in his bathtub. We made eye contact and I felt a deep blush slowly spread from my left cheek, over my nose, and onto my right. I quickly withdrew my arms wrapped around Tachibana-san to shield my eyes.

"I'm sorry for barging in!" I shouted before feeling myself falling backwards.

"Ah! Kaori-san!"

I gasped and quickly wrapped my arms around my carrier's neck again. His head jerked back and he made a choking sound.  
I ducked my head and squeezed my eyes shut. "Sorry! Sorry! I'm so sorry!"

_God, this is so embarrassing._

"Makoto, what is Kaori doing here?" A soft, yet deep voice asked. I was surprised by the lack of suffix.

"Well, she sort of hurt herself, but... Anyways, we need your first aid."

I heard Nanase-san sigh. "You know where it is. But hurry up, we're going to be late."

"That's my line!"

I huffed and kicked at the air impatiently. "Can we just leave the bathroom already," I pleaded.

"Oh! Right right!"

Tachibana-san backtracked before securing the door shut. I was finally able to open my eyes again.

"Sorry," he whispered.

He carried me down the stairs and into the living room, where he set me on a cushion.

"I'll go get the kit."

He disappeared behind a door and emerged a minute later with a white box.

Once I was bandaged nicely, Nanase-san had finished up his bath. There was no time for him to eat breakfast seeing that class was going to start in 10 minutes. We ran of the house, well, more like me flailing along on Tachibana-san's back. The two boys both agreed that I would only "slow them down" with my limping.

At the school gate, I insisted that Tachibana-san, but he _also_ insisted that he at least carry me to the lockers. I furiously shook my head. I'd rather suffer from the numbing pain in my knee than having people questioning our recent acquaintance.

I proceeded to my shoe locker and exchanged my black loafers for white slippers with green soles. With heavy footsteps, I wearily made my way to homeroom and slumped into my seat at the very front and rested my forehead on the desk. I was already fatigued from lack of sleep due to cram school, extra classes I take after school to further my education, thus making me stay up late to finish my homework. I seriously didn't need physical exhaustion to boot.

The school bell rang and students began to shuffle into class. They filled every seat and began taking out notebooks and pencils from their backpacks. I sat up. Amakata-sensei then entered the classroom with a blue folder. "Ohaiyo gozaimasu minna-san."

The class greeted her in return.

She then set her folder onto the podium and began taking attendance.

"Tadokoro Junichi-kun."

"Here."

"Tezuko Kaori-chan."

"Here," I said.

"Nanase Haruka-kun."

"Here."  
.

.

I fell asleep in class. _Twice._ I thought to myself, _I can't keep up this routine much longer._ With a yawn, I grabbed my lunch and a book before sauntering off to the library, per usual.

I was stopped in the hall by Amakata-sensei. "May I have a word with you Tezuko-chan?"

I pointed at myself. "Me?" I looked around. There was no one else in the hallway.

"Yes you! Follow me to the office."

I followed behind her, puzzled by what she wanted to talk to me about. "Ano... Amakata-sensei, am I in trouble?" I began to worry if she marked me as tardy from this morning.

She smiled knowingly and shook her head. "No, just the opposite actually."

We walked down to the first floor and stopped right in front of the _principal's_ office. I was bewildered. The only people who _ever_ visited the principal were in for a world of pain. The green tie wrapped around my neck suddenly felt tighter.

* * *

**So that's it for the first chapter. Thanks for reading~~**

**I implore you to let me know if there were any errors in my works.**

_**Reviews are love.**_


	2. Chapter 2

**To clear things up a bit, I go from last name to first. And I also use suffixes such as -chan and -kun but feel free to correct me if I improperly use them.**

**Disclaimer:** Free! Iwatobi Swim Club and its characters do not belong to me

**Beta:** ravenreux

* * *

Amakata-sensei touched her fingertips together. "So under the staff's careful selection, we have decided on _you,_ to be the new student council president."

My brows shot up and my eyes widened. "_What?!"_

"Well... it's more like _I_ recommended you." She stuck her tongue out, winked, and gave a cutesy giggle.

"Please don't _teehee_ me! Amakata-sensei, this is serious! Aren't there supposed to be elections involving the students instead of a unanimous vote by the school staff?"

She pointed a finger up as if proving her point. "That's the kind of attitude a president should have! As said by a famous writer, 'Those who want power and get it live in terror of losing it. That's why we have to give power to those who do not want it.' "

My mouth was agape. This was unbelievable. She hadn't even bothered asking me beforehand, she just decided it on her own. "But I'm only a second year. Are you saying that each member of the student council was randomly selected and the people who were actually planning to run will never get the chance?"

She sighed. "Not randomly. This was under the staff's _careful_ selection," she placed her hands on her hips, "We aren't as irresponsible to allow _any_ student to have the position. We check your grades, your extracurriculars, what you've done in junior high... we believed this to be the most efficient way to run the student body. That way there would be no drama with the campaigning and such. It's a tradition that's been going on at this school for years! ... Although I'm still new." She then pondered this for a moment. "Tezuko-chan, are you a transfer student?"

I shook my head.

"Really? Because I thought you knew how the student council works, so I figured you would be thrilled to know that we had handpicked you."

I gulped. "I... I guess I never really paid attention," I admitted.

She laughed. "Really? Well, I guess it's okay if you decline the position, but I really, _really_ wish you would accept this, Tezuko-chan. You would make a great leader. Give it some thought." She was speaking as a teacher now.

The old man who had been patiently sitting behind his desk finally interjected the conversation. He was a thin old man with a bristled mustache, and his eyes were as calm as a still lake. He had wrinkles and his graying hair was carefully combed to the side. His office smelled of medicinal herbs. This was Fujibashi-sensei, the soft spoken principal of our modest, unrenowned, school.

"Yes, we don't want to force you to make a decision," he glanced at Amakata-sensei, "but we truly want you as president. I believe you would do a fine job. But I also understand that you may have other commitments outside of school so you may not have the time for more responsibility. But again, as Amakata-sensei and the staff have put it, we beseech you to at least think about it."

I pursed my lips together. Even the principal wanted me as president. There was really no reason for me to decline, but this was too much for me to process at the moment. "..Then please give me some time to think about it," I replied.

He nodded, satisfied with my answer. "Very well then. You may tell Amakata-sensei your answer within two days' time."

Today was a _very_ eventful day.  
.

.

The following morning, just as I finished locking my door and headed toward the concrete stairway, I noticed my neighbor who lived across from me leaving his house as well.

The strange ordeal that had happened yesterday left me feeling awkward.

Avoiding him, turned and took a step down the narrow stairway when I spotted another unexpected individual climbing the steps. I inhaled sharply through my nose. His soft, emerald eyes looked at me with surprise.

"Ohaiyo Kaori-san."

I smiled politely. "Ohaiyo gozaimasu, Tachibana-san."

He waved his hand in front of him. "Maa maa, no need to be so formal."

"Oh." Did he think the events of yesterday made us more familiar? Well I suppose so. "Then... Tachibana-kun."

"I'm actually on my way to meet Haru-chan."

"You come here every morning?"

"Yeah. Ever since we were little I would come to Haru-chan's and then we would walk to school together."

A faint smile graced my lips. That was the kind of friendship that I admired. "Why do you always call him Haru-chan?"

He stopped two steps below me and scratched at his cheek, looking embarrassed. I observed the manner in which his lips curved and teeth flashed. "Ehe... yeah. Haru always tells me to drop the -chan," he rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, "but it's out of habit."

"Makoto."

Tachibana-kun shifted his weight to the right. "Ohaiyo Haru-chan."

I turned and saw a silhouette standing at the top of the steps. Squinting and blocking the sun with my right hand, I found the silhouette to be Nanase-san. His expression was impassive. "I told you to lay off the -chan."

"Right, right."

Nanase-san's gaze shifted to me. He bowed slightly and I did the same.

Tachibana-kun clapped his hands together as an idea came to him. "Hey! Since we're all here why don't we go to school together?"

I was caught off guard by this sudden proposal. It wasn't in my nature to really interact with people, and I still felt uncomfortable around the two. So, thinking of all the lame conversations and awkward silences that would surely fill the long walk to school if I were to go with them didn't particularly interest me. I shook my head. "Oh, no, it's okay."

"Why not?"

"I actually have an errand to run," I lied.

Tachibana-kun frowned. Nanase-san shrugged. "Let's go, Makoto."

"Well then, we'll see you in class, Kaori-san," he glanced at the plastic watch on his left wrist, "but you should really hurry with your errand or else you'll be late."

I nodded. "Thanks for letting me know."

With a wave, they disappeared around the corner.

I inwardly groaned. _This means that I have to take a detour through the backwoods if I want to avoid them on my way to school_. I pivoted my body, stormed up the stairs, and began my trek on a beaten path.

.

.

I approached the school gates tired and out of breath. Resting my hands on my knees, I gulped in air. My thighs were burning and my feet were cramping. I had forgotten how tiresome the detour was. Instead of walking down the steps and along the seashore as I normally would, the detour consisted of many twists and turns along the hills. And if I had wanted to make to school on time, I would have to run all the way here.

For the rest of the day, I had decided to avoid Amakata-sensei, Tachibana-kun, and Nanase-san. I knew that as an adult, Amakata-sensei wouldn't continually pester me about the subject of being president, and I could assume the two best friends were probably over the whole falling down piggyback thinf, but I was still wary.

The lunch bell had rang. Today, I had a larger stack of books with me. They were mostly textbooks I needed to study for my cram school. I carefully placed my obento on top of the pile and slid open the classroom door with my foot.

"Hey, Kaori-san."

I jolted, almost causing me to drop all my books. This was one of the voices I was trying to avoid.

"Gomen! Gomen! Here, let me help you."

White slippers with green soles - the same as my own - approached me. Gentle hands brushed against mine as they lifted the books.

Looking up at the kind person who offered their assistance, I identified this person as Tachibana-san.

"Oh, thank you Tachi- er... Tachibana-kun."  
The suffix felt strange on my tongue.

He smiled a bit but ignored my slip-up. "It's really no problem. So, where are we heading to?"

"Umm... the library."

"Library? Do you always eat lunch in there?"

I nodded. We began walking. The halls were bustling with students walking to and from the cafeteria or classrooms. Some were walking up to the roof.

I stole a glance at Tachhibana-kun. He was quite tall. His clothing was crisp and his scent was nice - the smell of soap still clung to him. He wore a pleasant expression on his face. He then caught sight of me gazing at him. I felt my cheeks grow red. I started, "Ah... umm... did you need something from me?"

"Hmm?"

"Well, you called out to me as I was leaving the classroom."

"Oh! Well, I saw you with quite a few books so I wanted to help."

"Really? That's it?"

"Yeah," he said with a smile.

My cheeks grew a shade redder. I was surprised by how selfless he was. "Th-Then at least let me hold one of the books! I don't want you to carry them all."

I reached for the book at the top of the stack but he just swerved it away.

"It's fine! Really."

I lowered my hands. "Are you sure?"

He smiled, supposedly to give me reassurance.

I frowned, "Okay then..."

When we reached the library he carefully set the books onto a table. I started rearranging my stuff. My obento on top of my chemistry book. My mathematics in its own separate pile to the right-

"Eto..."

I looked up. Tachibana-kun was scratching at his cheek. "I heard that the school wants you to become president."

I was surprised to hear that. _So it's already gotten around? _I sat down at the table and sighed, being reminded of the topic that's been pestering me in the back of my mind. I was still uncertain. If I were to accept, I didn't know if I would be able to balance all my new responsibilities and cram school, but I was mostly unsure about my capabilities of being a good leader. Sure I may have good grades and extracurriculars but I'm not so sure if I could make the right decisions for the school and actually _lead_ the students.

He pursed his lips together and made a short humming sound. "Are you feeling hesitant about it?"

I paused before answering, "Yes, I am."

He pulled a chair out across from me. "May I?"

"Oh, go ahead."

He sat down and rested his elbow on the table. "So you _are_ feeling hesitant. Why?" I told him about all the troubles I was facing. Tachibana-kun crossed his arms and leaned back, thinking.

A moment of silence passed. I decided to speak up, "Ano-"

"Maybe you should trust their judgment."

"Eh?"

"Maybe you should trust their judgment," he repeated, then paused. "This might not mean much since it's coming from me, but I think you'd make a great president too, Kaori-san." He smiled.

A feeling of warmth began to bubble inside of me. "Th-thank you," I said softly as I stared at my hands in my lap.

He then leaned over the table and said just as quietly, "Actually me and my friends want to start up a swim club."

"Really?" I raised my head to meet his emerald eyes.

"Yeah, and they want me to be captain. So if I become captain, then you should become president." He stuck out his pinky finger. "Sound fair?"

I was taken aback by his deal with a pinky promise. It was strange, yet cute. I tentatively extended my arm and wrapped my finger around his. "Let's both do our best," I promised.

He repeated after me, "Issho ni ganbarou."

.

.

I met Amakata-sensei after homeroom to tell her the good news. She clapped her hands together. "Really? How wonderful! What convinced you to finally take the reins?"

"...A friend."

"Ahh a friend. As stated by C.S. Lewis in _the Four Loves_, 'Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival.' "

I didn't know how to respond to that, and she could probably read the confused expression on my face.

She quickly changed the subject, "Well then... shall we tell Fujibashi-sensei?"  
I nodded.

Together we ventured to the principal's office and notified him of my decision. He was quite pleased.

A few days later a paper was tacked onto the bulletin board, letting the whole school of the authority's judgement; there was also an announcement during homeroom about it. Amakata-sensei read the names aloud, "The new members are President Tezuko Kaori of class 2-B, Vice President Kunnagi Ayame of class 3-A, Treasurer Nashimoto Takashi of class 1-C, and Secretary Shihara Yukimaru of class 1-D." She then looked up from the paper and smiled, "Congratulations Tezuko-chan."

I stood and bowed. The class applauded me along with a few polite congratulations. I also noticed an exceptionally happy person at the back of the class, with a gentle smile and emerald eyes.

* * *

******So while I was waiting for my editor to get back to me about chapter 4, I decided to revise chapter 1, which also led me into changing chapter 2. I did this because I felt that chapter 1 wasn't dynamic enough and it didn't do justice for the entire story as the starting chapter. But trust me, 1 and 2 are so much better now and I'm extremely proud of myself. :)))**

**And I'd like to thank you all for the follows, favorites, and especially the reviews. I feel so loved. :)**

**Random yet interesting facts:**

**It is believed that Shakespeare was 46 around the time that the King James Version of the Bible was written. In Psalms 46, the 46th word from the first word is shake and the 46th word from the last word is spear.**

**Karaoke means "empty orchestra" in Japanese.**

**The king of hearts is the only king without a mustache.**

**You burn more calories sleeping than you do watching TV.**

**Dentists have recommended that a toothbrush be kept at least 6 feet (2 m) away from a toilet to avoid airborne particles resulting from the flush.**

**.**

**_Reviews are love._**


	3. Chapter 3

**Warning:** This chapter contains OCs.

**Disclaimer:** Free! Iwatobi Swim Club and its characters do not belong to me

**Beta:** ravenreux

* * *

I groggily walked out of my house and into the bright daylight. The lighting was harsh on my eyes, making the area look bleary. Squinting didn't help. I was just too darn tired from studying the night before.

I reached back and pulled out my metal canister from my backpack. I twisted the lid off and took a swig of the contents inside. Dark and bitter liquid warmed my insides. I didn't particularly like coffee, I preferred tea, but my house had miraculously ran out of it the night before, so this was the next best thing.

I stopped at the top of the stairway. Tachibana-kun was there again, this time sitting at the bottom. He was playing with a white ball of fur. I tilted my head to the side, realizing that it was a kitten. _This is what sleep deprivation does to you._ As I proceeded to walk down the steps, the kitten scampered away.

When Tachibana-kun heard me approaching, he turned around. "Ah, ohaiyo Kaori-san." He scooted to the left to allow me to pass. "I guess this is going to be a regular thing, huh?"

I slowly nodded and took another sip out of the container in my hand. "Ohaiyo gozaimasu, Tachibana-kun."

An amused smile was playing at his lips. "Coffee?"

I nodded again.

He laughed softly. "I can smell it from here. Did you not get enough sleep?"

I shook my head. "It's just been these past few days. We just got new material, so I've been staying up late trying to cover it all." And by _we,_ I meant my cram school class.

He understood. "You know... you shouldn't push yourself so hard. If you get tired take a break, okay? You shouldn't just worry about your grades. You have to worry about your health, too."

I was surprised by his words. "You sound like a captain."

"Eh? Do I?" He scratched at his cheek.

I smiled. "Anyways, how's the club going?"

"It's going okay. We have enough members to be an official club now, but we still need another swimmer if we're going to compete in relays. So, in the meantime we're fixing up the pool."

"Hmm... it must be hard then."

He rested his elbows on his thighs. "We're almost finished. I think we can fill the pool today. If you have time you should stop by to see how much the pool has changed." He paused. "How's student council?"

I spoke as I put my drink away, "We're actually going to be having our first meeting today after school."

"Nervous?"

"Yes," I admitted.

He held both fists up. "Ganbattene!"

"Mm."

Tachibana-kun checked his watch, then rose and sighed. "Haru is taking forever," he whined. "You can go ahead of me, Kaori-san. I think he's going to be a while. I don't want you being late."

"Oh.." _He thought I was waiting for him?_ Well, I didn't want to make him feel awkward or embarrassed so I waved to him and said, "I'll see you in class then."

He smiled and waved back. "See you." He then turned on his heel and marched up the stairs.

I pressed a hand to my cheek and contemplated when he was out of sight. It wouldn't be _that_ bad if I walked with them to school. I mean, the first time I hadn't wanted to because I didn't know them very well. But now, Tachibana-kun and I were friends, or so I thought, and hopefully the lame conversations and awkward silences that I feared wouldn't be there.

I groaned. _Ah who am I kidding? Tachibana-kun had told me to go ahead so I might as well._ With hunched shoulders, I traveled down more steps down to the shoreline.

The waves were lapping against the rocks, and the air smelled of the sea. The sky was clear and blue. Honestly, I could not remember a day when the weather in Iwatobi Town wasn't nice. Spring always had the pleasantly cool weather, followed by a month of heavy rain. Summer was always hot. The wind chimes and cicadas produced a calming feel. Autumn had the crunching of leaves and the fireworks. Winter was the season for softly falling snow and breaths of mist.

The rest of the mile to school was quite peaceful and uneventful. I listened to the morning birds chirping and waves caressing the shore. I pulled a loose string off my sleeve and messed with my hair as the breeze blew at my bangs.

I love these walks to and from school. They were nice.

.

.

I stood in front of a classroom on the first floor. The sole purpose of this room was to serve as the student council's headquarters. I would be working in this room, not just on papers and plans, but with other _people_. Truth be told, I was nervous. _Very_ nervous. I didn't actually have any friends. It's not that people didn't try to befriend me, but after I was promoted from junior high, I was always so focused on studying that I never had time to socialize. So the very thought of interacting with these people for a _year_ made my stomach queasy.

I inhaled through my nose and exhaled through my mouth. _I guess it's now or never._ With the key the principal gave me, I unlocked the door and slid it open.

The first thing I noticed was the view we had. Across the dirt road, lined with flowers and shaded by trees, were the gymnasium and baseball field. This classroom was just in front of the path that branched off and led to the pool.

_"We're actually fixing up the pool right now... but we're almost finished. You should stop by to see how much the pool has changed."_

A thought of stopping by crossed my mind.

"Konnichiwa," a voice piped, snapping me out of my reverie. I pocketed the key and turned around to meet Kunnagi Ayame, a third year. She was an extremely pretty, pink haired beauty. A lot of guys were head over heels in love with her. Rumor has it that at least once every four days, a boy would confess his undying love for her. I'm surprised her name wasn't the clichéd '_Sakura._'

She bowed to me, with her hands placed delicately over each other. "I'm Kunnagi Ayame, the new vice president. You can call me Aya! It's nice to meet you."

"Ah!" I bowed as well. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Tezuko Kaori."

"Ahh, so you're the president. Eto... may I call you Kaori_-chan_?"

"Sure."

Her smile stretched further to show a dazzling display of pearly white teeth.

Without missing a beat, a short green haired boy on the verge of tears came running in.

"Sumimasen! Sumimasen!" He ran straight to Aya-senpai and repeatedly bowed. "Kaichou, sorry for being late!"

A smug looking guy with dark hair and glasses, wearing a hood walked in. He was much taller than the green haired fellow.

"Baka," he drawled, "that's not the president."

The green haired boy's face slowly turned red as tears began to pool over. He then faced me and bowed deeply. "Kaichou! Sumimasen! I didn't know!"

Well I will admit that Aya-senpai does look more like a president figure than me, but this guy really needs to tone it down.

"Calm down," I soothed, trying to ease his high tension.

The hooded guy grabbed onto the smaller boy's head and kept it down. I looked at his hand in shock, taken aback by his rough actions. _This guy's a member of the student council?_ He bowed slightly and jutted his thumb toward his own chest. "I'm Nashimoto Takashi, and this _baka_ over here is Shihara Yukimaru."

"Damn first years," Aya-senpai muttered under her breath. I looked at her in shock as well. You could practically feel the dark aura being emitted from her. With feigned politeness she greeted, "It's nice to meet you Yukimaru_-kun._ Takashi_-teme_."

Doom and gloom was written all over the first years' faces. They immediately straightened their backs and stood stiffly.

"My, my... What a lively bunch we have here." A pungent smell of ginseng and herbs hit my nose. The principal walked in with a stack of papers tucked in the crook of his elbow. His crow's feet became more prominent as he smiled. "I'm glad to see you're all getting along."

The meeting commenced. After we reintroduced ourselves-I presumed we were all on first name basis-we went over school rules and regulations. The duty of the student council was to enforce these rules. We were supposed to police the halls, the roof, the cafeteria, etc. But it appeared that the highlight was being in charge of festivals, which Aya-senpai was looking forward to, if her amiable chatter was anything to go by. I was looking forward to them as well; festivals have always fascinated me.

An hour later, the principal called the meeting to an end. I offered to stay behind to lock up the room. I could take as much time as I wanted since I didn't have cram school today.

The sunset stained the quiet classroom. I sat down at the desk that was to belong to me and slowly dragged my index finger along the grains of wood and graffiti etched in. There was history in this room, in this school. A gentle breeze found its way through an opened window.

I rested my head on the table and closed my eyes.

I relished these calming, soothing moments away from home... away from the drama.

* * *

**So school has started again and you know what that means... slower updates. :(**

**But the good news is that I finally have a beta now! :)**

**To TheDroidsYoureLookingFor: You were right about the Iwatobi's principal appearance in canon! To be honest I was quite surprised to see he didn't have a mustache. For some reason I really expected him to have one. Lol. I think when I get to season two in this fanfic I'll just have him shave it off to match canon. Looool.**

**Random Yet Interesting Facts:**

**The elephant is the only animal with four knees.**

**The plastic things on the end of shoelaces are called aglets.**

**On average, there are 178 sesame seeds on each McDonald's Big Mac bun.**

**Cats can hear ultrasound.**

**Stressed is desserts spelled backwards.**

**.**

_**Reviews are love.**_


	4. Chapter 4

**For those of you that don't know yet, I've revised chapters 1 and 2 as of October 8, 2014. So if you haven't yet, I strongly recommend that you read them.**

**Disclaimer:** Free! Iwatobi Swim Club and its characters do not belong to me

**Beta: **currently waiting

* * *

_I was at home in the kitchen, looming over the stove. Potato and carrot chunks were stewing in a pot and the rice cooker was spewing steam. The bubbling stew continued to cook until the contents began to spill over the lip. But I stood there, watching. The front door opens and a boy walks in. He has a face like mine, but his eyes are dark and menacing. A girl is draped over him like an accessory. I bare my fangs and hiss at the stranger like an animal. He laughs. I begin to shout at him but no sound comes out. Becoming more frustrated, I begin to scream. I want him to get out. I want him to leave. But he continues laughing. I stomp over and shove the two out before locking the door. But I still hear his maniacal laugh. It's pounding in my ears._

I recoiled from the desk and rubbed my face, feeling disoriented. _A dream?_

_More like a nightmare,_ said a small voice in my head. But honestly, it wasn't too farfetched.

I turned to the windows. The sun hadn't completely set yet so I wasn't asleep for too long I suppose. I shook off my nerves and collected my things before leaving the building.

Honestly, I did not want to go home. But I had to do my homework and make dinner since I was always the only one home.

The house was always empty. Living with a single mother, she was continuously busy trying to support me and my brother. She left home before sunrise, came home in the afternoon to change for her second job, already rushing out of the house again by the time I returned from school. She would then return at odd hours of the night with my cooking waiting for her in the fridge. I only got to spend time with her on saturdays.

As for my brother... I try my best to avoid him. He's a year older than me, and we currently attend different high schools, by choice. He goes to school in the city, and doesn't come home till dark. It's not that the commute is very far, or that he does sports or anything like that. It's because he hangs out with a bad crowd. He's brought home a couple of girls when our mother isn't home.

This is why I'm doing everything so my mom can be proud of at least one of her kids, and so she can live an easier life in the future. This is the reason why I'm studying extremely hard so I can get into a good university and have a well-paying job to give back to my mother for all she's done.

The scent of chlorine wafted past my nose. I again remembered what Tachibana-kun had said to me in the morning:

_"We're actually fixing up the pool right now...But we're almost finished. You should stop by to see how much the pool has changed."_

He couldn't still be there could he? It was already late. But my feet had already changed direction, walking down the fragrant, petal-covered path. A part of me was hoping he was there. I couldn't explain why, but I had an urge to see him.

The sound of light conversation was not that far away. I found myself jogging, then running.

When I had finally reached my destination, my breath caught in my throat. The sunset refracted off the crystalline pool, appearing as if it was flowing with gold. The tree branches had been pruned and the chain link fences were coated with a fresh sheet of green paint. The pool had most definitely changed. When I caught sight of Tachibana-kun with a group of friends, he seemed to glow in the amber lighting. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, highlighting the muscles of his forearms. I averted my eyes.

"Kaori."

I turned to the pool surprised. Firstly because I hadn't noticed someone was swimming, and secondly because I was afraid that I had been caught staring.

It was Nanase-san. He waded to the edge of the pool and looked up at me.

I breathed a sigh of relief. "Ah, hello Nanase-san. Isn't it too cold to be swimming?"

He chose to ignore my question. "Did Makoto ask you to come here?"

"Err... yeah. He asked me to stop by and check out the pool."

"Kaori-san? What are you still doing at school? Did your meeting end this late?" Tachibana-kun was walking towards me. A blond boy and a red-headed girl followed behind him. They made him seem much taller than he already was.

The group stopped in front of me. I waved my hand in response. "No, I sort of... fell asleep."

He sweat-dropped. "Is that so...?"

The blond leaned forward. "Nani nani? Mako-chan, is this your friend?"

He nodded. "This is Kaori-san."

I breathed out a quiet sigh I did not know I was holding. I had subconsciously been anticipating his answer.

The red head clapped her hands together as if remembering something. "Ah! You're the new president aren't you? Congratulations!"

"Oh. Umm... thank you." I felt a bit embarrassed for being put on the spot.

"Wah," the blond seemed amazed, "Mako-chan is friends with the kaichou?" He shot him a thumbs-up. "So cool!"

The brunette sweatdropped before returning his attention to me. "Ah, Kaori-san. You haven't met these two before right? This is Nagisa and Kou." He gestured to each person respectively. "They're first years."

I bowed to them. "Nice to meet you."

Kou-san rushed to bow back. "Ah, no! The pleasure is all mine!"

I smiled. She seemed nice.

"Hai! I'm Nagisa! I look forward to becoming great friends with you, Kaori-chan-senpai!"

_Kaori-chan-senpai?_

He probably read the expression on my face. "Is that no good? Then how about I just call you Kaori!"

My eyebrows rose. He was already acting so familiar!

Kou placed her hands firmly on her hips. "Nagisa! Show some respect! She's your senpai!"

Nagisa stepped into my personal bubble and looked at me with pleading eyes. I found he was slightly taller than me, and very cute for a boy his age. I restrained myself from glomping him. "It's fine right?"

I sighed. I had been defeated by his cuteness. "Yeah, it's fine."

He did a cheer and jumped for joy. Kou groaned. I quickly glanced over to Tachibana-kun, who had disappeared to help Nanase-san out of the pool. _They all seem like good friends._

After he had helped him out of the pool, the emerald eyed boy glanced at his watch. "Ah, we should leave soon. Sensei warned us to leave in five minutes or else we'll get in trouble."

Shortly after everyone had collected their things, we gathered at the entrance. Nagisa-san enthusiastically bid his farewell and left with Kou-san for the train station.

"Let's go," Nanase-san said.

I was puzzled. "Together?"

Instead of answering, he just stared at me. _Is he trying to silently communicate his thoughts?_ Probably realizing that I didn't understand what he meant, Nanase-san finally nodded in confirmation.

Tachibana-kun, watching this exchange, smiled weakly. He attempted to steer the strange conversation into another direction, "It's getting dark. We should hurry up minna-san."

I looked up at the sky and realized it was getting darker. I had to quickly get home and make dinner.

"Okay. Then, let's hurry."

.

.

Once we cleared the school grounds, I suddenly became curious as to why Tachibana-kun mentioned how dark it was getting rather than mentioning the time.

"Tachibana-kun, are you afraid of the dark?"

He shook his head. "No, I'm-"

"Ghosts," Nanase-san said.

I laughed when Tachibana-kun visibly stiffened. They both turned to me with puzzled expressions.

"Are... are you not afraid of ghosts Kaori-san?"

"No It's not that. It's just that your reaction was funny."

Tachibana-kun's lips curved into a knowing smile.

"What?"

"Nothing. I'm just relieved to know that you can smile like that," he trailed off as the edges of my lips dropped into a frown. "Oh, no! Don't take it in a bad way! Seeing you smile..." His gaze lowered and he suddenly got very shy. "Uwah! I didn't know where I was going with that sentence. So nevermind!" He paused. "Sorry. That was probably weird, huh?"

His natural sweetness made my cheeks feel rosy. But he probably didn't mean much by it, so I smiled reassuringly. "No it's fine."

I glanced at Nanase-san for a reaction, but he still remained quiet and expressionless. I didn't know what to say to get him to talk.

The walk home was quite peaceful. The air was filled with the scent of sea salt and savory dishes being prepared by the nearby houses.

When we finally reached the steep stairway, Tachibana-kun stopped.

"I live right here."

Tachibana-kun pointed to a two-story house that resided right next to the stairs. Moss growing between the cracks of the fence and there were many windowsill planter boxes filled with vibrant flowers that glistened from a recent shower.

I joked, "Must be very convenient that you don't have to walk up the stairs everyday like me and Nanase-san."

Tachibana-kun laughed. "You know that's not true." he placed a hand on the gate. "Well, I'll see you two tomorrow morning." He smiled before heading inside.

"It's like a storm brewing off the coast," I heard a voice murmur behind me.

I turned to Nanase-san. This was the first time he had said anything the whole walk home.

"What?"

He didn't answer, and instead began his trudge up the steps.

_Was he mad at me for some reason? _Needing to know, I called out, "Nanase-san! Wait!"

I began chasing after him, but for some reason he was already halfway up the steps. Maybe it was his athleticism that had put him at an advantage against my indoor nature.

When I finally reached the top, he was standing there waiting for me.

Between breaths, I said, "Nanase-san... what do you mean... 'a storm brewing off the coast'?"

He pursed his lips together before replying, "Everyone calls me Haru."

"Huh?"

"And Makoto would prefer it if you called him Makoto."

"What are you even talking about?"

Without answering my question _yet again_, he turned on his heel and entered his own home.

* * *

**Thanks for all the follows, favorites, and reviews!**

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